Google investing in western Iowa wind farm

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Andrew Nelson

DES MOINES — Online giant Google announced Thursday it was investing $75 million into a wind-energy farm under development in Iowa.

The deal is part of an overall plan for more Google investment in the Hawkeye State and in its Council Bluffs data center. Details of the plan will be announced Friday afternoon in a press conference at the Iowa State Capitol.

Council Bluffs is home to one of the eight data centers that power Google's Internet search engines and other services. Bluffs area officials, including Mayor Tom Hanafan and Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, are expected to attend.

The wind farm is being developed by RPM Access, a West Des Moines-based renewable energy company, near the town of Rippey, about 133 miles northeast of Omaha.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20121115/NEWS/121119770/1685#google-investing-in-western-iowa-wind-farm

[Samantha]

1. This is very exciting

Thanks for posting.

Sam

[ailsagirl]

2. Great news!! Hope they set a precedent!!

[oswaldactedalone]

3. This is amazing

I was speaking today to a high school classmate of mine, class of '73, who develops wind farms in Iowa. What a coincidence. I'm calling him tomorrow to learn more about this.

Interestingly, he said that the working environment on wind farm development is being undermined by the Koch Brothers and their cronies in the oil business. Apparently, he's been quite successful in this as he's just purchased a retirement home in Ecuador. Still a really nice and down to earth guy.

[drm604]

4. I suppose conservatives will now boycott Google.

[MadashellLynn]

5. That's a really funny joke.

Like conservatives ever googled anything. That would almost be like fact checking

[Comrade_McKenzie]

7. Conservatives still use Excite and Yahoo... nt

[DallasNE]

6. Did Google Use Fuel Cell Technology When They Built Their

Council Bluffs data center? First National Bank uses fuel cells in the 40-story tower they built a few years ago so they require little additional electricity. There is more than one way to skin the energy cat.

[drm604]

8. What are the fuel cells using for fuel?

They may not necessarily be carbon neutral.

[DallasNE]

10. Not Sure Of The Specifics But

Here is a pretty good link on explaining fuel cell technology. It looks pretty clean and safe.

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Fuel_cell?o=3986&qsrc=999

[drm604]

11. Not necessarily.

If they use natural gas or methanol than one of the outputs is CO2 which of course is a greenhouse gas.

If they use hydrogen then you have to ask how the elemental hydrogen was obtained. Obtaining that hydrogen involves either splitting it from fossil fuels, or splitting it from water molecules. Both of those processes require energy. If that energy is gotten from solar or wind, and the hydrogen was split from water, then good. If you burn fossil fuels to make the necessary energy to split the hydrogen then, not so good.

[DallasNE]

12. They Use Hydrogen

But they don't specify details. About the best I can come up with. http://www.pcworld.com/article/199043/should_fuel_cells_power_your_data_center.html

This covers their technology center but not their nearby 40-story headquarters building that also uses fuel cells for power.

[drm604]

13. Most industrial hydrogen is obtained from fossil fuels.

I think mostly from natural gas. Carbon is release in the process.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Omaha Steve.